Searching for information available on global computer networks, i.e. "cruising the Web," particularly the worldwide web portion of the Internet has become popular recently. A number of commercially available software applications executable on a conventional computer architecture enable users to connect to the Internet through their respective Internet Service Provider and provide a graphic user interface and appropriate functionality for locating and exploring "websites". Such sites typically comprise a server operatively coupled to the Internet, the server having one or more "pages" which may be explored by a user using the browser application. Examples of such commercially available browsers include Netscape Navigator, version 2.0 and thereafter commercially available from Netscape Communications Corporation. Similar browser packages are commercially available from MicroSoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington.
The worldwide web and Internet, in general, have created a completely new venue in which to obtain information, purchase services and goods, etc. Accordingly, many vendors of products and services have established web sites containing information about products, services, etc., including "1-800" telephone numbers and Email addresses by which the vendor or source of information may be contacted. Due to the disparity between the architecture and addressing protocols utilized by traditional public switch telephone networks, i.e. a circuit-switched telephone network, and the Internet, i.e. a packet-switched data network, it has been previously difficult to establish a real-time communication link between a user exploring a website with a browser and an actual human operator. A brief description of the differences between the network types is set forth below for the benefit of the reader.
Two fundamentally different switching technologies exist that enable digital communications. The first type, circuit-switched networks, operate by establishing a dedicated connection or circuit between two points, similar to public switched telephone networks(PSTN). A telephone call causes a circuit to be established from the originating phone through the local switching office across trunk lines, to a remote switching office and finally to the intended destination telephone. While such circuit is in place, the call is guaranteed a data path for digitized or analog voice signals regardless of other network activity. The second type packet-switched networks, typically connect computers and establish an asynchronous "virtual" channel between two points. In a packet-switched network, data, such as a voice signal, is divided into small pieces called packets which are then multiplexed onto high capacity connections for transmission. Network hardware delivers packets to specific destinations where the packets are reassembled into the original data set. With packet-switched networks, multiple communications among different computers can proceed concurrently with the network connections shared by different pairs of computers concurrently communicating. Packet-switched networks are, however, sensitive to network capacity. If the network becomes overloaded, there is no guarantee that data will be timely delivered. Despite this drawback, packet-switched networks have become quite popular, particularly as part of the Internet and Intranets, due to their cost effectiveness and performance.
In a packet-switched data network one or more common network protocols hide the technological differences between individual portions of the network, making interconnection between portions of the network independent of the underlying hardware and/or software. A popular network protocol, the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is utilized by the Internet and Intranets. Intranets are private networks such as Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WAN). The TCP/IP protocol utilizes universal addressing as well as a software protocol to map the universal addresses into low level machine addresses. For purposes of this discussion, networks which adhere to the TCP/IP protocol will be referred to hereinafter "IP-based" or as utilizing "IP addresses" or "Internet Protocol address".
It is desirable for communications originating from a PSTN network to terminate at equipment in an IP-based network, and vice versa. Problems arise, however, when a user on a circuit-switched network tries to establish a communication link to a packet-switched data network, and vice versa, due to the disparity in addressing techniques and architectural differences between the two types of networks. Accordingly, a user currently viewing page on a vendor's website has had to separately call the vendor using information posted on the website through a completely different network infrastructure, i.e. a public telephone network, or, communicate over the Internet in non-real time. With either technique, the results are often unsatisfactory and possibly effect the user's ability to obtain information or complete a transaction.
Accordingly, a need exists for the ability to establish a direct-to-point communication link from a software application on a packet-switched data network to a vendor or source of information, regardless of whether the vendor is reachable via the Internet or a public switched telephone network.
A further need exists for the ability to automatically launch and establish a communication link from a web browser to a web site or call distribution center associated with the website in a manner which substantially seamless to the browser user.
A further need exists for the ability to utilize information, such as Internet protocol addresses, telephone numbers, E-mail addresses and other information which may be posted on the Internet to efficiently establish a communication link between a software application, such as a browser, and a source posting of such information.